Area where Vallejo woman was struck, killed to get more street lights

A poorly lit intersection where a Vallejo pedestrian died after being struck by a pickup truck has since gotten more street lights, city Public Works Director David Kleinschmidt said.

Six street lights have been out for at least several months in the general vicinity of Sonoma Boulevard and Winchester Street in south Vallejo, Kleinschmidt said.

Vallejo Police Officer Dan Acfalle said he could not immediately say if the lack of street lights in the area was a factor in the accident. He added he has not completed his investigation.

The collision occurred at about 5:40 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24. Marlyn Madison, 60, was walking east on Winchester Street and crossing Sonoma Boulevard in the crosswalk.

A pickup truck driver, a 28-year-old from Pittsburg, was driving south on Sonoma Boulevard and struck her, propelling her about 80 feet. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Acfalle said neither speed, nor DUI, nor cell phone distractions were factors in the accident. However, the case would be forwarded to the district attorney once he completed the investigation for possible prosecution of the driver, he said.

In the city's public works department, the accident and the woman's death pushed the malfunctioning street lights to the top of the list of priorities in that division, Kleinschmidt said.

Months before, city staff had determined an electrical short in the wiring but had been unable to pinpoint the exact cause or location, Kleinschmidt said.

"I asked for an update on possible solutions to see if there was a different way to repair them," Kleinschmidt said.

In the last few weeks, the city had been able to repair and restore service to three of the six lights out in the general area of Sonoma Boulevard and Winchester Street.

The remainder would likely be repaired and returned to service within the next three weeks, he said.

Previously, employees had said they would have to rip out a long length of sidewalk in an effort to find the electrical wiring short and how best to repair it.

But rather than go underground and try to fix the faulty wiring, the city has installed overhead wiring to get the lights back into service as quickly as possible, Kleinschmidt said.

Caltrans' permission is required to do the work on the state-owned Sonoma Boulevard, which is expected to be granted within about 10 days, Kleinschmidt said.